Process of treating charge materials in electric furnaces



C. E. PARSONS. PROCESS OF TREATING CHARGE MATERIALS m uecrmc FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED FEB- |9 1920- I 1,359,736. Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

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C. E. PARSONS.

PROCESS OF'TREATING CHARGE MATERIALS- IN ELECTRIC FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED. FEB. 19. 1920.

1,359,736, Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

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ZW WW 1. 5'9 W C. E. PARSONS. PROCESS OF TREATING CHARGE MATERIALS m ELECTRIC FURNACES.

. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19. 1920. 1,359,736.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

I vQ J'vI/LWM C/zaaEjfParsams CHARLES E. PARSONS, 0F ENGLEWOOD, JERSEY.

PROCESS OF TREATING CHARGE MATERIALS IN ELECTRIC FURNACES.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. FAnsoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Englewood, in the county of Bergen and- State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Charge Materials in Electric Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a process of treating charge materials in an electric furnace and has for its. object to improve the procedures heretofore proposed.

With this andother objects in view the invention consists in the novel steps and combinations of steps constituting the process all as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in.the

of treating a very wide variety of materials,

but it 'is'especlally adapted for the formation of atmospheric-nitrogen and also for the making of. metallic magnesium from magnesia whether the magnesia 1s preheated in a retort or not. i

It will probably .be-mor convenient to illustrate this process. by the'iproduction of metallic magnesium from magnesia, but it will be understood that other charge materials may be substituted therefor, without in theleast departing from the spirit of the" invention. l

1 indicates any suitable refractory sup porting material such. for example as brickwork, 2 illustrates a. steel jacket outside said brickwork, 3 suitable electrodes, 4 lead wires, 5 any suitable silo or container, 6 a connectionprovided with a valve 7 joining said containerwith the second container 8,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19, 1920. Serial No. 359,839.

I and 9 a valved connection leading to said 15 rigid with the shaft 16. The conveyer passage 11 opens into the vertically disposed conveyer passage 18 in which is located the vertically disposed screw conveyer 19 vided with the beveled gear 21 meshing with the beveled gear 22 with which the shaft 16 is provided.

The vertical passage 18 leads into the tapered passage 23, which in turn leads into the squareor cubical chamber24. into which the electrodes also lead.

Leading from the said chamber 24 are the chutes or conveyer passages 25 and 26,

as shown, which are inclined toward the ver' tical passage 18 and toward each other, and finally meet in the passage or connection 28, all as will be clear from Figs. 1 and 2. The said passage 28 is connected to the chambers or containers 29 and 30, by the connections 31 and 32respectively while the connection 31 is provided with the valve device33 and the connection 32 is provided I mounted on the hollow stem or pipe 20 prowith the valved device 34. 35 represents a container for water having an outlet 36 and an inlet 37 v I This said chamber 35 supplies water to the hollow stem 20 and thus keeps the conveyer 19 cool as will be readily understood.

40 and 41 represent valved outlets for the containers 29 and 30 respectively while 45 represents a continuation of the chamber 24 or a space above the same to which is connected the pipe 46 leading to the collector or condenser 47 provided with a suction apparatus 55, as shown. Above the chamber 24 and extending into the space 45 is a re-- fractory member 48 preferably of carbon and provided with the holes 51 as shown;

This said member 48 is conveniently adjusted up and down by means of the screw .device 65 and has the function of mechanically cuttlng 1nt'o or dividing the charge material 50' ,when it becomes sticky and tends to be lifted up across the passage 45,

so that said material: will readily break under the action ofiravity and pass down through the chutes and 26 into the containers 29 and 30 as will be readily understood.

From the foregoing it will be observed that when using charge material in general it may be delivered to the container 8 either hot or cold, whence it will be con- .veyed upwardly to the chamber 24 whereupon it will be acted upon by the current and its volatile constituents converted into a rial is constantly being brought into theregion of the electrodes so that its conductivity will .be much less below said electrodes than it will be above said electrodes. It results from this-that the current does not stray or wander much from the immediate region of the chamber 24, and it is therefore localized in said chamber with the result that its action upon the material is much more un1form than has been heretofore the case.

Further, the crest of the material60 is its hottest'portion, and as this is exposed to the space 45 or to the suction in said space the volatilized material is much more readily extracted from the treated charge material than has been heretofore the case, and therefore, better extraction of the values is attained. I

In addition to this, should the material 50 become so sticky that it tends .to clog the chamber 45, the refractory member 48 mechanically severs or cuts into the material to such an extent that under the action of gravity it breaks away and readily follows down the chutes 25 and 26 so that the action of the furnace is perfectly automatic and continuous.

Now, applying a charge material consistthe necessary heat or if the charge is preheated itwill be sufiiciently conductive itself to start theheating action.

If the charge is preheated it may be delivered to the conveyer 12 by any suitable and well known means whereupon the hot charge will be carried up through thepassage 18 by the conveyer 19 and into the chamber 24. Here a minimum of current will be necessary to volatilize the magnesium present, and therefore, the cost of the operation will be lessened over what it would be It will be observed also that since if the charge is treated in the manners here-H tofore proposed. That is to say, 'it is well known that carbon will 'reduce magnesium oxid but it requires a temperature so high to carry out the reaction successfully that in fuel fired furnaces the linings of the furnaces are soon destroyed.

()n the other hand, when handling magnesium oxid in ordinary electric furnaces, owing to the inability to control the current,

to the unequal and unsatisfactory heating of the charge, and to many other disadvantages that are well known to be incident to the operation of resistance furnaces, the cost of producing the magnesium has been excessive. But, by preheating the charge, however, to say above 1400", as stated above, the economy incident to retort heating is efi'ected, while the higher temperature necessary to success is attained in the electric furnace here illustrated, and at a minimum cost of current. This minimum cost of current flows not only from the fact that the 'chhrge is preheated, but also from the fact that the current is so localized between the electrodes that it is not wasted as has been found to be the case 111 P1101 furnaces. But again as stated above, if it is desired 'to treat the magnesium and without preheating the same, it may be fed from the chamber 8 to to the chamber 24 in the above disclosed manner whereupon the localized heat in said chamber will volatilize the magnesium all as stated.

When the magnesium metal is thus volatilized the suction in the pipe 46 readily conveys the same to the collector or condenser 47 where it is recovered. The slag material passes down the chutes 25, and 26, and into the containers 29 and 30, whenceit passes through the valves 40 and 41 into carts or buggies, not shown, and is conveyed from the furnace.

Of course, it is very desirable indeed in treating a large number of substances, including magnesia that no air be present in the charge during the operation. In this case, all the parts of the furnace are eifectually closed against the atmosphere and upon opening the valves such as 33v and 34, the suction exhausts all portions of the furnace of any free oxygen or CO that mayotherwise exist therein.

Further, in introducing the charge into the conveyer passage 11, it may first enter the chamber 5 whereupon the valve 9 may be closed and the charge allowed to pass through the valve 7 into said chamber 8. In other words, upon reclosing the valve 7, and opening the valve 9, the chamber 6 acts as an air lock. When making magnesium metal with furnaces of this character the furnace is conveniently so located in proximity to the preheating crucibles that the lattermay be discharged either directly into the lower chamber 8 or into the upper chamher 5, as may be desired, or they may discharge by means not shown directly into the water cooled conveyer chamber 18.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of the process without departing from the spirit of the invention,

and therefore, I do not wish to be limitedto the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What I claim is 1. The process of treating charge mate: rials in an electric furnace which consists in rendering said materials electrically conductive' feeding said conductive materials upwardl y between heating electrodes causing the molten material to impinge against a sharp edge to divide the same and prevent sticking; and passing said materials downwardly out of the region of said electrodes, whereby the current is localized, in said electrode region, substantially as described.

2. The process of treating charge materials in an electric furnace which consists in rendering'said materials electrically conductive by adding carbon thereto; feeding said conductive materials upwardly between heating electrodes causing the molten material to impinge against a sharp edge to divide the same and prevent sticking; and

in said'electrode region, substantially as described.

3. The process of volatilizing metals 1n charge materials in an electric furnace which consists in adding carbon to said materials; feeding the latter upwardly between electrodes; passing said materials downwardly out of the electrode region after the metals present have been volatilizeih'and sucking said volatilized metalsout of the region of said electrodes, substantially as described.

4:. The process of volatilizing metals in charge materials in an electric furnace, which consists 1n adding carbon to sa1d ma-' terials; feeding the latter upwardly between trode region, substantially as described.

in presence of two witnesses.

' electrodes; mechanically dividing the treatmetals to a suction action to' remove them from the furnace; and passing the residue of the treated ores downwardly from the. elec- 6. The process of recovering metallic magnesium from magnesium bearing ores, which consists in mixing said ores with carbon; preheating said ores; passing the preheated mixture upwardly between heating electrodes to volatilize the metals present;,subjecting the volatilized metals to a suction action to remove them from ,the furnace; and passing the residue of the treated ores downwardly out of contact with the air from the electrode region, substantially as described.

7 The process of recovering metallic magnesium from magnesium bearing ores, which consists in mixing said ores with carbon; passing the mixture upwardly between heating electrodes to volatilize themetals present; subjectingthe volatilized metals to a suction action to remove them from the furnace while mechanically dividing the upwardly traveling mass; and passing the res idue of the treated ores downwardly from 'metals present; subjecting the volatilized the electrode region, substantially as de Y scribed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my I CHARLES E. PARSONS.

Witnesses:

W..,P.,Dnrric, B. F. CLARK. 

